


Kiss the Girl

by TurnUps



Category: Kill la Kill
Genre: Ducks, F/F, Ice Skating, for some reason, happy new years day, i have too many feelings, mako says ryuko chan way too many times, mako/ryuko, oneshot that may be continued sometime idk, ryumako - Freeform, two dorky lesbians who dont realise their in love, winter fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 23:13:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,488
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5604565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TurnUps/pseuds/TurnUps
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ryūko finds herself agreeing to go ice skating with Mako. Usually, this would be fine, but Ryūko's never been ice skating and she's terrified of making a fool of herself.<br/>On top of it, she's not sure why her stomach keeps jumping when she looks at her best friend.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Kiss the Girl

Ryūko hadn't been paying attention. She could admit that. Her mind was going round in Senketsu circles. She only realized Mako had left her time to answer a question for once because of the silence breaking out.

She met Mako's wide brown eyes. They were so hopeful...they obviously wanted her to agree.

"Sure," Ryūko couldn't help herself.

She was rewarded by Mako's huge smile. The beautiful, down-to-earth smile that made Ryūko's heart calm down. Senketsu had said it before - that was 'the key' to getting her to focus.

"Great! Do you have any skates?" Mako barely paused, already dashing out to the wobbly wardrobe where the two kept their things.

"Uh," Ryūko blinked.  _Skates? What did she need skates for?_ "No?"

"That's okay, then! You can borrow my ones!" Mako just shrugged in response, starting to pull everything into her sack-like backpack. She was moving so fast Ryūko could hardly see what they were bringing with them...to wherever it was they were going.

"Make sure to wrap up warm - both of you." Mako's mother smiled at them, even though she had Mataro in a headlock to stop him from pick-pocketing a person unfortunate enough to fiddle with their change outside the Mankanshoku household. _  
_

_Wrap up warm...skates.._. the puzzle clicked together in Ryūko's mind and she felt her stomach drop. _Ice skating?_

"R-right," she managed to nod, grabbing her scarf from the debris Mako had created and draping it round herself. _Ice skating! But she couldn't skate!  
_

As Ryūko's coat landed on her head (thrown by an over excited Mako), she considered admitting that she didn't really want to go.

But, as she pushed the coat out of her eyes and saw Mako lugging the bulging bag onto her back with a grin so warm it would probably melt the ice rink, Ryūko realised she couldn't say. She'd just have to suck it up and accept her fate.

Senketsu had mentioned Mako's effect on her before. She hadn't had an answer why then and she was no closer to one now. She shook her head to clear it.

"If you're ready then let's go." She said, attempting a smile at Mako. She wasn't very good at it, but it was getting easier the longer she stayed at Honnouji.

"Have fun you two!" Mako's mother waved them out, shutting the door behind them.

"Ryūko-chan, can we take the bike?" Mako asked, even though she was already making her way around to it. Ryūko looked at the cherry red motorcycle. They'd spent all of the last weekend fixing it up and she  _was_ excited to use it. _Yet, if it broke..._

"Sure," she decided, mounting her vehicle. "But hold on tight to me, okay?"

"Yup." Mako swung herself on behind her, hugging Ryūko tight around the waist. As she felt Mako's head on her shoulder, her stomach jolted uncomfortably. _Was she sick?_

Ryūko pursed her lips, then revved the throtle and threw the bike into motion.

"You have to give me directions!" she yelled over the sound of the engine to Mako.

"Yup yup!" came Mako's reply. She sounded just like a puppy. "Oh - a left here."

Ryūko obliged, just narrowly making the turn.

"Ryūko-chan you went the wrong way!" Mako yipped behind her.

"What, no - I went left!" Ryūko shouted back, turning her head as much as she could whilst still being in control of the bike.

"Ohhhhhh," Mako's replied drifted out of hearing for a moment, before she started up again. "I meant the other left."

Ryūko sighed and rolled her eyes. She tried to be annoyed but it actually relaxed her. Mako was being Mako again. Everything was back to normal.

As soon as she could, she looped back around and made the right turning. Mako's directions were okay for the most part, excluding one or two occasions where she called out the turn too late.

Eventually, however, they reached the Honnouji City ice rink. It certainly wasn't owned by the Kiryuin's, otherwise it would have been shiny and new. This place looked as though it hadn't been stepped in for years, let alone mantained.

To Ryūko's surprise, there was a kind, old man on the desk. His face lit up as he saw the two girls coming through the door.

"Mankanshoku-chan!" he wheezed. "How can I help you?"

"Honda-san!" Mako chirped, "Two ticket's please - how's the leg?" then she added, to Ryūko, in what she thought was a whisper. "Father fixed up his leg a while back."

Ryūko wondered if Honda knew what the chances were he wouldn't survive that surgery.

"Good, good." Honda mumbled, handing over the two tickets to Mako.

"Come on, Ryūko-chan!" she called to her companion, starting through the turnstiles. Ryūko realised they were holding hands and her stomach lurched again. What was that?

They arrived in the dressing room, which smelt like a mix of the cold of the ice rink and sweat. Ryūko could see the white rink beyond the doorway and shivered. She wasn't ready to make a fool out of herself in front of Mako.

"Are you cold?" she'd noticed Ryūko's shiver. "Here, I have an extra coat in here somewhere..."

Mako started to shuffle through the bag, bringing out said coat just as Ryūko said it was okay. They froze for a second, Ryūko's fingers just touching Mako's wrist. The slight contact felt like a lot more. Like Ryūko could feel her skin underneath her yellow jumper.

Then she just took the coat anyway and slipped it on. She felt Mako's huge eyes watch her a second more, before she turned back to the bag, eventually bringing out two mismatched pairs of ice skates. At least they could have a left and a right shoe each.

Ryūko tried to pull the skates on as slowly as she could, but as soon as Mako was done, she pounced onto Ryūko's half tied laces. She even sung the rhyme about the rabbits as she did so.

"Um, thanks." Ryūko muttered regretfully. 

"Let's get going, then!" Mako beamed, then tugged Ryūko to her feet. She moved unsteadly on her skates and, giggling, clung to the other girl's arm.

Ryūko found her arm around Mako's waist to keep her upright, which sent another uncomfortable spasm through her chest. The two staggered drunkenly over to the entrance of the ring.

Mako's arms were outstretched like a tight-rope walker's as she stepped out onto the ice. Ryūko held her breath, ready to catch her friend when she inevitably fell.

But once Mako was out on the ice, she didn't wobble at all. In fact, she skated off with all the grace of a professional. Ryūko found herself captivated by the grace of the other girl's movements. Whilst a swan would be a lovely metaphor, Mako looked more like a mallard hen.  _She had that same quietly pretty thing going on_ , Ryūko mused. Then she realised what she had really just thought. That Mako was a duck. A  _pretty_  duck. _Did she have a crush on Mako? Was it just friendship to think someone was a pretty duck? How was pretty duck a compliment?!_

Ryūko groaned inwardly and buried her nose into her scarf. She sucked at feelings. She sucked even more at interpreting feelings. She sucked the most at knowing what to do because of her feelings.

There was a sudden whish of skates and Mako was beaming up at her, in all her bowl-cut, duck-like glory.

"Aren't you coming?" the shorter girl asked, her breath appearing in white puffs.

"Sorry, lost in thought." Ryūko muttered, suddenly finding herself unable to look Mako in the eyes. Maybe if she ignored her thoughts they would go away.

Knowning there was no delaying the inevitable any longer, Ryūko placed one skate onto the ice, clutching onto the barrier so she didn't lose her balance. When her foot didn't slide out from under her, she continued with her right foot.

And then she was standing on the ice in front of Mako. She couldn't resist a grin as she stood there, wobbling slightly to keep her balance.  _She was doing it!_

Predictably, as soon as she thought that it wasn't _that_ hard, her legs slipped out from under her and she crashed sideways onto the ice, just catching herself with her hands before her head hit the floor. Her hip throbbed from the impact.

And almost straight away, Mako's hand, swathed in at least two pairs of mittens, was there to help her up. As always. Biting back her pride, as always, Ryūko accepted Mako's help. Shakily, gritting her teeth, she started to get back up.

Ryūko had barely gotten into a crouch before she slipped again. This time, landing straight on her butt. Mako hopped neatly over Ryūko's kicking legs, then slipped too and she landed the same way. Ryūko felt her face heat up, but Mako just laughed and started to pick herself up.

This time using the barrier that went around the side of the rink, Ryūko followed suit. She stood, clutching the side. Her legs wobbled under her and she fought to keep control over them.

"Ryūko-chan," Mako said, manouvering closer to her friend. "It's better to keep moving on the ice."

"R-right." Ryūko nodded. _Had Mako already guessed that she had no idea what she was doing?_

At close to a snails pace, Ryūko crept along the side of the rink, her fingers grappling for purchase on the skinny side. Mako followed her, her head tilted to one side as she watched. Suddenly she gasped.

"Ryūko-chan! Are you scared of ice skating?" she asked suddenly.

"Don't be stupid - of course I'm not scared!" Ryūko yelled in defence. She tried to turn to berate her friend some more, and ended up tumbling into her. They was a squeak before they were both sat on the ice, Ryūko stewing to herself. 

"I'm not _scared_ ," she repeated bitterly. "I just-" 

She just didn't want Mako to know she was bad at something. Especially when _Mako_ was good at it.  _But why did she really care about that? Was it that she was usually the one helping Mako out, that she didn't want to be thought of as weak?_ She thought she knew that Mako wouldn't care. She hoped that Mako wouldn't care. 

Ryūko gulped.

"I'm just normally in control, you know?" she tried to articulate her feelings. "I - I didn't want you to know I can't do something."

Her face burnt as she looked at Mako, contasting to the cold creeping up her from the ice beneath.

"But that's okay!" Mako burst out almost automatically. Her pinks turned pink and she gathered her thoughts. "We can't all be good at everything, Ryūko-chan. Just like how I'm greedy and useless in battle, you can't ice skate."

"It's-" Ryūko was going to say 'it's nothing like that at all', but Mako was already getting to her feet. She stretched out her hands to Ryūko.

"I'll help you!" she declared, grinning down at her friend.

Ryūko took a breath, then took Mako's hands. Once standing, Mako started skating backwards, pulling a wobbly Ryūko along with her.

"And gliide, gliiiide, gliide..." Mako chanted and eventually the two fell into a rhythym. Ryūko fixed on the tiny drops of water that had clung to Mako's eyelashes and before she knew it, she was speaking again.

"You're not useless!" she told the other firmly. "Or greedy!"

Mako looked up, blinking her eyes like Bambi. Ryūko was sure if she carried on blushing like this she would spontaneously combust.

"You just want to help out your family and there's nothing wrong with that. I would probably get carried away and want to kill me too if it would help the people I cared about,"

Ryūko continued, her voice suddenly more passionate than she would have liked. "And you're not useless! Just having you there - knowing that you're cheering me on - that I have to win for you - it's what...it's what spurs me on."

She whispered the last part, her voice cracking slightly. She was staring at her feet. It was too hard to admit all of this to Mako's face. 

_What was she thinking?_ Ryūko thought, to both herself and Mako. The other girl had been completely silent. The only sound was the 'sksshhhh' of their skates on the ice.

Then there was a thud as Mako slid straight into the barrier at the other side of the rink. Ryūko managed to stop them from colliding by grabbing onto the barrier, even though it meant she was hemming Mako in. Slowly, her gaze slid up to Mako's face.

She was crying. Big, fat tears worthy of modelling for Studio Ghibli. Her cheeks were pink and she was just staring at Ryūko in surprise, her mouth still slightly open.

"That's - that's the nicest thing to say in the world!" she suddenly declared, her eyes glistening as she met Ryūko's gaze.

"Well, it's true." Ryūko shrugged slightly.

"No, you got something wrong," Mako shook her head slightly, a small smile appearing briefly on her lips. "I could never kill you Ryūko, especially not to help the one's I care about, because I care about _you_!"

Ryūko's heart juddered and she found that she was coming to like that feeling. That was the feeling of being hopelessly in love with someone, she realised. Friend's didn't look at each other like this. Friend's didn't say 'care' in the way Mako just did - like Ryūko was her reason to be alive.

"I care about you too," Ryūko replied, the words getting stuck in her throat. Her voice had dropped. She hoped Mako got her meaning - that she was her rock. Their toes were suddenly together, their heads had moved closer without even realising. Ryūko felt the chill of Mako's cheek against her nose. It just felt like the only thing to do. The only thing to stop her heart beating so hard.

"I've never kissed a girl..." Mako whispered and Ryūko felt the other girl's breath on her lips.

"Me neither," she admitted. "We should try."

Mako moved first, her lips hitting Ryūko's with a shyness. A sweetness. The kiss lasted a long moment. Ryūko was all to aware of how warm Mako's mouth was. Of how unbelievably soft her lips were.

She hadn't even realised she had closed her eyes until the kiss stopped and she had to open them. She stared at Mako, her heart felt like a butterfly. Bursting to take flight.

"That was...different." She decided.

She watched Mako slowly, soflty smile. Her hands took Ryūko's. Softly. Everything about this moment was soft. "It was nice." Mako said. Ryūko realised, giddily, that she was in love. And Mako loved her back. And they were in love together. And that seemed like the most perfect, most untouchable thing in the world.

And she was bending down to kiss Mako again.

**Author's Note:**

> Epilogue:  
> Ryūko felt like she'd just run a marathon. She was light headed, her breaths weren't working as she led Mako back to the scooter.  
> In the end, they hadn't done a lot of ice skating. They'd stayed on the ice until they were so cold, they couldn't hold hands. And then they had paid for unlimited slushies from the machine and just talked about everything and nothing until the sun was starting to set and Ryūko thought it was best to go home before things got dangerous.  
> And they were about halfway home before the scooter released a venomous spit of ash cloud. It swerved to a stop and sat on the side walk, spluttering and heaving.  
> "Looks like we're walking home," Ryūko sighed, killing the engine to put it out of it's misery, and beginning to walk the scooter on the path.  
> "Don't worry," Mako jumped up on tip-toes for a moment, to pack Ryūko's cheek. "I'll help you fix it next week."  
> ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
> -Blame my I-tunes for playing auto playing Disney music as I was proof-reading for the title.


End file.
